Christophe

Yes, what I also thought : just buy the PICTURE.... Ch.

So, my turn again for Question #198 Let's try something more difficult... I would say quite quite difficult... And, back to Berlin... Here are the questions : As you all know, in mid-1945, Berlin has been divided in 4 sectors commanded by the USA, Great-Britain, France and the USSR. In the first agreement signed in London (30 november 1944), France had no sector attributed. The French sector first appeared on 28 February 1945, through a British proposal. It took a number of proposals and compromises to reach the final agreement on 30 July 1945. The 4 precise questions are : 1. The British proposal of 28 February 1945 being the 1st one, how many interim proposals and compromises have been needed to reach the final agreement of the 30 July 1945 ? As a bonus, can you list them, with each time the new location and / or content of the french Sector ? 2. On 30 July 1945 (final agreement), what are the names of the Berlin districts included in the French sector ? 3. What were the Berlin districts initially asked by France ? 4. Who was the Commander in Chief of the French sector on 30 July 1945 ? The winner will be the first Member fully answering all questions (except Bonus). Good hunt and good luck.... Cheers. Ch.

Hi Frank, Many thanks for the victory. Just a precision about your last comment : The one that crashed and is still under water because of its weight is the big one, or KM or "korabl-maket", the largest ekranoplan ever built. The KM, powered by eight Dobryin VD-7 turbojets on the front of the fuselage, and two on the tail for extra thrust during take-off, first took to the air in October 1966. During its extensive test career, it was continually modified. The wingspan was altered to between 32m and 40m, and the length varied from 92m to 106m. The KM crashed in 1980, apparently due to the pilot ill-advisedly attempting to take off without giving it full throttle. An attempt to recover the leviathan from the depths was thwarted by its vast weight. This is the one you can see in photo in my previous post. The one from 1972 is the small one, Dubbed A-90 "Orlyonok" ("Eaglet"), mentioned in my answer. Cheers. Ch.

Hi Frank, You are talking about Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeev (December 18, 1916, Novozybkov ? February 9, 1980, Nizhny Novgorod, USSR). He was a designer of highspeed shipbuilding. He invented and designed the world's first Ekranoplans. 1.What was the Project? The project was the KM or "korabl-maket", the largest ekranoplan ever built It was one of the first very successful vehicles designed by Alexeev and built by his Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau. The KM was intended as a test platform to examine the possibilities of the "Wing In Ground" (WIG) effect. 2.What was the length of the Item we have built in 1972 and were is it now? Dubbed A-90 "Orlyonok" ("Eaglet"), this 140 tonne, 58 metre long aircraft had its maiden flight in 1972. The only three operational A-90 Orlyonok ekranoplans built (with renewed hull design) and one Lun-class ekranoplan remains at a naval base near Kaspiysk 3. Why was it not possible to detect the item by radar? She flied only a few meters above water, saving energy and staying below enemy radar. Below is a pic of the Ekranoplan KM 'Caspian Sea Monster'. Ch.

And, with them, you can follow history of the Soviet aerospace industry... Nice!!!! Ch.

And the capsule today... Ch. Pic : Lisa Fessenden Frank, Congrats again, and your turn now.... Cheers. Ch.

The capsule being trucked onboard. Ch.

Hi Frank, Excellent answers!!!! Congratulations, you are the winner!!! (maybe it was too easy ? ). You can all find the complete story here : http://www.astronautix.com/articles/sovpsule.htm Below, you can find the capsule onboard the Southwind. Cheers. Ch.

Hi Hendrik, Happy to help. But the "mystery" is not solved... Yours is far different than the one I posted. look at the reverse... Which period ? Cheers. Ch.

Fully right!!!! Cheers. Ch.

Congrats Bob, for this acquisition. Wish I'd see it before you... About a book about him, I don't know but will let you klnow if I heard about... Cheers. Ch.

Hi Bob, Not me. But, see below the date indicated by the printer. I think we are still into the framework... A few days more to wait... Cheers. Ch.

Only 60 surviving Companions of the Liberation. As of today, here is the list of these 60 Companions : Jos? ABOULKER Marcel ALBERT Ren? BAUDEN Henri BEAUGE-BERURE Robert BINEAU Henri de BORDAS Guy CHARMOT Daniel CORDIER Louis CORTOT Yves de DARUVAR Bernard DEMOLINS Pierre DESHAYES Victor DESMET Jean-Pierre DULAU Rudolf EGGS Constant ENGELS Robert GALLEY Mr GARGUE Ren? GATISSOU Alain GAYET Hubert GERMAIN Charles GONARD Jacques HEBERT Paul IBOS Fran?ois JACOB Henry LAFONT Pierre LANGLOIS Claude LEPEU Roger LESCURE Ren? LESECQ Pierre LOUIS-DREYFUS Louis MAGNAT Jacques MAILLET Roger MALFETTES Jean-Pierre MALLET Robert MASSON Fred MOORE Jean MUFRAGGI Jean NETTER Mr POIS Roland de la POYPE Andr? QUELEN Claude RAOUL-DUVAL Serge RAVANEL Jacques ROULEAU Charles RUDRAUF Raymond SABOT Andr? SALVAT Robert SAUNAL Etienne SCHLUMBERGER Pierre SIMONET Jacques de STADIEU Aim? TESSEIRE G?rard THEODORE Elie TOUCHALEAUME Jean TRANAPE Edgard TUP?T-THOME Andr? VERRIER Aloizo WALEINA Nicolas WYROUBOFF This complete list, with all bios, can be found here : http://www.ordredelaliberation.fr/fr_doc/4_1_2_2.php Ch.

Only 60 surviving Companions of the Liberation. In February 2008 the Chancellery of the Order of the Libeartion found trace of a companion that had "disappeared" for many years : Joseph Rysavy. Unfortunately, Jospeh Rysavy died on 23 April 1946, in Oran (Algeria). Joseph Rysavy, born in 1904, joined the French Free Forces, in London, as soon as July 1940, and took part in the campaigns of Dakar, Erythrea, Syria, Libya, Bir Hakeim, Tunisia and Algeria. Here is his bio (in French) : http://www.ordredelaliberation.fr/fr_compagnon/842.html There are now only 60 surviving Companions of the Liberation. Ch. Pic : Chancellerie de l'Ordre de la Lib?ration.

Hi Eddie, Seems logical. I correct my previous post. Thanks for the corrective message. Cheers. Ch.

All brains welcome!!!!! There is a new easy question in the Soviet & Eastern Block Quiz - 2008... http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=2429...0&start=364 Please, exerce your brain and try to win this challenge!!!! Cheers. Ch.

The Obverse. Ch. Pic : CollectRussia

For example, here is the pic of the same medal, but for 15 Years of service. Ch. Pic : CollectRussia

Hi Hendrik, This is the Medal for 10 Years of Irreproachable Service in the Ministry of Interior. Established in 1964. Issued to policemen, fire fighters and, after 1969, to state security officers (starting that year Bulgarian Committee of State Security merged with the Ministry of Interior). Reverse shows emblem similar to that of Soviet KGB: shield with a vertical sword and hammer and sickle. Cheers. Ch.

Hi Snoopy, This is a very nice collection!!! You know, it gives me ideas... Cheers. Ch.

Question #196 In 1970, as part of the Detente policy between the two Great Powers, the USSR returned "something" to the USA. The object returned on the occasion of this gesture has been loaded onboard a US ship, on the occasion of a ceremony that took place in the Soviet Union. Here are the questions : 1. When exactly did this gesture took place (precise date) ? 2. Where ? 3. What was this object ? 4. How did this object found his way into Soviet hands ? 5. Which US ship was it ? And what is the Soviet "link" this ship had ? 6. Where is this object now ? The winner will be the first completely answering all 6 questions. Good hunt and good luck!!! Cheers. Ch.

And an updated version of the stats : Quiz 2008 : * 24 questions asked, * with 365 answers, * and viewed more than 2,770 times. Nb of good answers for the Quiz 2008 : * 7 : Marc (Lapa) * 5 : Christian (Zulus) * 3 : Christophe & Frank (Knarf) * 2 : Auke (Ferdinand) * 1 : Alex (RedMaestro), Jim (JimZ) & Wild Card Complete statistics give since this Quiz has been launched (on 1 Nov. 2005) : * 195 questions asked, * with 2,510 answers, * This quiz has been viewed more than 25,500 times. * 39 Members of the Forum played, and 29 correctly answered at least 1 question : Nb of good answers : * 40 : Christian (Zulus) * 35 : Christophe * 15 : Frank (Knarf) * 13 : Jim (JimZ) * 11 : Bryan (Soviet) * 8 : Auke (Ferdinand) & Simon (Red Threat) * 7 : Marc (Lapa) * 6 : Belaruski, Carol I & Ed (Haynes) * 5 : Dan (Hauptman) & Wild Card. * 3 : Andreas (Alfred), Ivan (Piramida) & Kim (Kimj). * 2 : Chuck (in Oregon), Gerd (Becker), Jan (vatjan) & Order of Victory. * 1 : Alex (RedMaestro), Charles (Hunyadi), Darrell, Daredevil, Dave (Navy FCO), Dudeman, Filip (Drugo), Rick (Stogieman) & Steen (Ammentorp). This is a great achievement. Thanks to all for your participation in this Quiz. Now, let's play for the 196th question, mine !!!! Cheers. Ch.

Hi Alex, Many thanks for your kind words, and the victory. For our information, please, do you have more details on how Mykola Bazhan helped to create the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky ? Thsi would be certainly an inetresting story to know... About Mykola Bazhan, a few details of his life, from this site : http://www.dompavlov.com/bazhan.htm "Bazhan, Mykola, b 9 October 1904 in Kamianets-Podilskyi, d 23 November 1983 in Kyiv. Poet, writer, translator, and Soviet Ukrainian political and cultural figure; full member of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR from 1951. One of the most prominent representatives of the literary renaissance of the 1920s, he wrote screenplays, edited the journal Kino, and was associated with the literary groups Vaplite and Nova Generatsiia and the journal Literaturnyi iarmarok. Bazhan's poems were first published in 1923, but he gained recognition for the collections 17-i patrul' (The 17th Patrol, 1926). With Riz'blena tin' (The Sculptured Shadow, 1927), and especially Budivli (Buildings, 1929), Bazhan abandoned futurism and constructivism and emerged as a romantic expressionist (see Expressionism), whose poems were characterized by dynamism, unusual imagery, monumentalism, and frequent references to the Ukrainian past. In the poem ?Budivli? Bazhan treats historical themes, seeking a link between the modern era, the Middle Ages, and the Ukrainian baroque of the Cossack state. ?Budivli? and the poems ?Rozmova serdets' ?(Heart-to-Heart Talk), in which he presented an unusually harsh assessment of Russia, ?Hofmanova nich? (Hoffman's Night, 1929), ?Sliptsi? (The Blind Beggars, 1933), ?Trylohiia prystrasty? (Trilogy of Passion, 1933), and others display an original poetic style: a bold statement of theme, a rich vocabulary replete with archaisms, syntactic complexity, an abundance of metaphor, and inventive rhyme. These poems, as well as the collections Doroha (The Road, 1930) and Poezi? (Poems, 1930), aroused harsh criticism of Bazhan: he was accused of ?detachment from Soviet reality?, ?idealism?, and nationalism. During the terror of 1934?7 Bazhan wrote the trilogy Bezsmertia (Immortality, 1935?7), which was dedicated to S. Kirov, and entered the company of poets enjoying official recognition. His later works, written in the spirit of Stalinist patriotism, all belong to the corpus of official Soviet poetry. These include the collections Bat?ky i syny (Fathers and Sons, 1938), Iamby (Iambs, 1940), Klych vozhdia (The Call of the Leader, 1942), and V dni viiny (In the Days of War, 1945); the collections awarded the Stalin Prize ? Kliatva (Oath, 1941), Danylo Halyts?kyi (Danylo of Halych, 1942), Stalinhrads?kyi zoshyt (Stalingrad Notebook, 1943), and Anhliis?ki vrazhennia (English Impressions, 1948); and the collections Virshi i poemy (Poetry and Long Poems, 1949), Bilia Spas?ko? vezhi (Near the Savior's Tower, 1952), Ioho im?ia (His Name, 1952), Honets (The Chaser, 1954), Iednist? (Unity, 1954), Tvory (Works, 1946?7), and Vybrane (Selected Works, 1951, from which poems of the early period were omitted). After Joseph Stalin's death Bazhan did not take part in the cultural renaissance launched by the Shestydesiatnyky (poets of the sixties); his later collections and poems, Iasa (1960), Italiis?ki zustrichi (Meetings in Italy, 1961), Polit kriz' buriu (Flight through the Storm, 1964, for which he received the Shevchenko Prize [see Prizes and awards]), Umans?ki spohady (Memories of Uman, 1972), Nichni rozdumy staroho maistra (Nocturnal Reflections of an Old Master, 1976), and others, were also written in the spirit of Party ideology. Bazhan's translation of S. Rustaveli's poem Vytiaz' u tyhrovii shkuri (The Knight in the Tiger Skin, 1927) was published to great critical acclaim, and he has produced many masterful translations from Georgian, Russian, and Polish, as well as of the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. Bazhan is also the author of literary studies, reviews, and memoirs. With the outbreak of war in 1941 Bazhan emerged as a leading political figure. He was editor of the newspaper Za Radians?ku Ukra?nu!, deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR (1943?8), a long-term member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine and deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR and of the USSR, and head of the Writers' Union of Ukraine (1953?9). From 1958 he headed the editorial board of the Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia publishing house and served as editor-in-chief of many of its publications." Cheers. Ch.

While waiting for Alex's answer, I am updating the stats... Quiz 2008 : * 24 questions asked, * with 362 answers, * and viewed more than 2,750 times. Nb of good answers for the Quiz 2008 : * 7 : Marc (Lapa) * 5 : Christian (Zulus) * 3 : Frank (Knarf) * 2 : Auke (Ferdinand) & Christophe * 1 : Alex (RedMaestro), Jim (JimZ) & Wild Card Complete statistics give since this Quiz has been launched (on 1 Nov. 2005) : * 195 questions asked, * with 2,507 answers, * This quiz has been viewed more than 25,500 times. * 39 Members of the Forum played, and 29 correctly answered at least 1 question : Nb of good answers : * 40 : Christian (Zulus) * 34 : Christophe * 15 : Frank (Knarf) * 13 : Jim (JimZ) * 11 : Bryan (Soviet) * 8 : Auke (Ferdinand) & Simon (Red Threat) * 7 : Marc (Lapa) * 6 : Belaruski, Carol I & Ed (Haynes) * 5 : Dan (Hauptman) & Wild Card. * 3 : Andreas (Alfred), Ivan (Piramida) & Kim (Kimj). * 2 : Chuck (in Oregon), Gerd (Becker), Jan (vatjan) & Order of Victory. * 1 : Alex (RedMaestro), Charles (Hunyadi), Darrell, Daredevil, Dave (Navy FCO), Dudeman, Filip (Drugo), Rick (Stogieman) & Steen (Ammentorp). This is a great achievement. Thanks to all for your participation in this Quiz. Now, let's wait for Alex's answer to the 195th question !!!! Cheers. Ch.

Hi Alex, Congratulations for your victory #1 !!! Here are my suggestions for your challenge : 1. Who am I? Mykola Bazhan, poet, writer, translator, and Soviet Ukrainian political and cultural figure. 2. What was my native country? Ukraine 3. What prize did I almost win? Stalin Prize of Literature (he got the 2nd Class only) 4. What soviet order did I help create? Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Am I far ? Cheers. Ch.